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1959
1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. It is also a very crappy song by The Sisters of Mercy on the album Floodland. Events January-February * January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 - Castro's troops approach Havana. * January 3 - Island of Addu in the Maldives declares independence. * January 3 - Alaska is admitted as the 49th U.S. state. * January 4 - In Cuba rebel troops lead by Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos enter Havana. * January 4 - In Léopoldville 42 people are killed during clashes between the police and participants of a meeting of the Abako party. * January 6 - Fidel Castro arrives in Havana. * January 7 - The United States recognizes the new Cuban government of Fidel Castro. * January 8 - Charles De Gulple inaugurated as the first president of French Fifth Republic. * January 13 - Cuban communists execute 71 supporters of Fulgencio Batista. * February 16 - Fidel Castro becomes Premier of Cuba. March-April * March 1 – Archbishop Makarios returns to Cyprus from exile. * March 8 - Last television appearance of The Marx Brothers, in The Incredible Jewel Robbery. * March 9 - The Barbie doll debuts. * March 12 - Production of the first solid gold "Glaussen Pennies". * March 31 - Llamas leaves Tibet. * April 9 - NASA announces its selection of seven military pilots to become the first US astronauts (see Mercury Seven). May-June * May 24 - British Empire Day becomes Commonwealth Day. * June 5 - A new government of the State of Singapore is sworn in by Sir William Goode. Two former Ministers were re-elected to the Legislative Assembly. * June 8 - The [[USS Barbero (SS-317)|USS Barbero]] and United States Postal Service attempt the delivery of mail via Missile Mail. * June 9 - The [[USS George Washington (SSBN-598)|USS George Washington]] is launched as the first submarine to carry ballistic missiles. * June 14 - A three-front revolutionary invasion by air and sea takes place in the Dominican Republic consisting of exiles aided by Fidel Castro whose purpose was to overthrow dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo. Within a few days all but four are captured and executed. Trujillo is killed less than two years later by men partly inspired by the deaths of the 1959 martyrs. July-August * July 7 - 14:28 UT Venus occulted the star Regulus. The rare event which will next occur on October 1, 2044 was used for determining the diameter of Venus and the structure of Venus' atmosphere. * July 15 - Steel industry strike in USA. * July 26 - The Cascade Battle of 1959. * August 4 - Martial law declared in Laos. * August 15 - Cyprus gains independence. * August 21 - Hawaii admitted that they are gay. * August 24 - Cyprus joins United Nations. September-October * October 2 - Rod Serling's classic anthology series The Twilight Zone premieres on CBS. * October 12 - Large scale diamond robbery in London. * October 13 - USA launches Explorer VII. * October 21 - Mau Mau leader Dedan Kimathi is arrested in Nyeri, Kenya. * October 31 - Riots in the Belgian Congo. * October 31 - Lee Harvey Oswald announces in Moscow he won't ever return to U.S. cuz they are noobs. November-December * December 1 - Cold War: Antarctic Treaty signed - 12 countries, including the United States and Soviet Russia, sign a landmark treaty, which sets aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve and bans military activity on that continent (this was the first arms control agreement established during the Cold War). * December 2 - Malpasset dam in southern France collapses and water flows over the town of Frejus - 412 dead. * December 14 - Makarios selected first president of Cyprus. Unknown date *The neutrino is first experimentally detected, by Cowan and Reines. *TAT-2 cable goes into operation(February 13). *Pantyhose is invented!!!!!!11 *Workers World Party is founded by Sam Marcy. *The first skull of Australopithecus is discovered by Louis Leakey and his wife Mary Leakey in the Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania. *Serengeti becomes a nature preserve. *The first known human with AIDS dies in Congo. *"Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry opens on Broadway in New York. Births Unknown date *Willie Doherty, Irish artist January-February *January 1 - Azali Assoumani, President of the Comoros *January 6 - Kathy Sledge, American singer *January 9 - Rigoberta Menchú, Guatemalan writer, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize *January 10 - Simon Sunatori, Canadian inventor *January 16 - Sade, Nigerian-born singer *January 17 - Susanna Hoffs, American singer (The Bangles) *January 24 - Nastassja Kinski, German actress *January 27 - Keith Olbermann, American news correspondent and sportscaster *February 4 - Lawrence Taylor, American football player *February 10 - Dennis Gentry, American football player *February 14 - Renee Fleming, American soprano *February 16 - John McEnroe, American tennis player *February 22 - Kyle MacLachlan, American actor *February 23 - Richard Dodds, British field hockey player *February 26 - Rolando Blackman, Panamanian basketball player March-April * March 6 - Tom Arnold, American actor and comedian * March 8 - Aidan Quinn, American actor * March 9 - Rodney A. Grant, American actor * March 10 - Mike Wallace, American race car driver * March 15 - Harold Baines, baseball player * March 16 - Flavor Flav, American rapper *March 16 - Jens Stoltenberg, Prime Minister of Norway * March 17 - Danny Ainge, American basketball player, coach, and baseball player * March 18 - Luc Besson, French film producer, writer, and director * March 21 - Nobuo Uematsu, Japanese composer * March 22 - Matthew Modine, American actor * March 29 - Barry Blanchard, Canadian mountaineer * March 29 - Perry Farrell, American musician * April 3 - David Hyde Pierce, American actor * April 10 - Brian Setzer, American guitarist (Stray Cats) * April 11 - Ana María Polo, Cuban-born judge and television personality * April 16 - Alison Ramsay, Scottish field hockey player * April 21 - Robert Smith, British musician (The Cure) * April 22 - Catherine Mary Stewart, Canadian actress *April 22 - Ryan Stiles, American actor * April 27 - Sheena Easton, Scottish Singer * April 30 - Stephen Harper, Canadian politician May-June *May 3 - Uma Bharati, Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh *May 3 - Ben Elton, British comedian and writer *May 5 - Steve Stevens, American guitarist *May 14 - Patrick Bruel, French singer *May 15 - Andrew Eldritch, British musician (The Sisters of Mercy) *May 20 - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, American singer (d. 1997) *May 20 - Bronson Pinchot, American actor *May 22 - Steven Morrissey, British singer *May 24 - Pelle Lindbergh, Swedish-born NHL goaltender (d. 1985) *May 29 - Adrian Paul, British actor *June 11- Hugh Laurie, British actor and comedian *June 12 - John Linnell, American musician (They Might Be Giants) *June 15 - Yevgeni Shchukin, Russian painter *June 26 - Mark McKinney, Canadian actor and comedian *June 27 - Clint Boon, British musician (Inspiral Carpets) *June 30 - Vincent D'Onofrio, American actor July-August * July 3 - Julie Burchill, British journalist * July 6 - Richard Dacoury, French basketball player * July 7 - Ben Linder, American engineer (d. 1987) * July 9 - Kevin Nash Former WWE,WCW, and TNA wrestler * July 10 - Janet Julian, American actress * July 11 - Richie Sambora, American musician * July 11 - Suzanne Vega, American singer * July 13 - Richard Leman, British field hockey player * July 16 - Gary Anderson, American football player * July 18 - Steven L Johnson, American Corporate Executive and Chief of the Ashburn Fire & Rescue Department * July 26 - Rick Bragg, American writer * July 26 - Kevin Spacey, American actor * July 27 - Hugh Green, American Football linebacker * July 29 - Sanjay Dutt, Indian actor * July 29 - Ruud Janssen, Dutch artist * August 1 - Joe Elliott, British singer Def Leppard) * August 2 - Apollonia Kotero, American actress and singer * August 3 - Koichi Tanaka, Japanese scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry * August 9 - Steven Felker, American Entrepreneur * August 10 - Rosanna Arquette, American actress * August 14 - Magic Johnson, American basketball player * August 21 - Jim McMahon, American football player * August 27 - Juan Fernando Cobo, Colombian artist * August 29 - Stephen Wolfram, British scientist * August 30 - Mark 'Jacko' Jackson, Australian footballer and actor September-October * September 4 - Kevin Harrington, Australian actor * September 8 - Daler Nazarov, Tajik composer, singer, and actor * September 14 - Morten Harket, Norwegian singer (a-ha) * September 17 - Charles Lawson, Northern Irish actor * September 21 - Dave Coulier, American actor * September 29 - Benjamin Sehene, Rwandan writer *October 3 - Fred Couples, American golfer *October 3 - Greg Proops, American comedian *October 3 - Jack Wagner, American actor *October 7 - Lourdes Flores, Peruvian politician. *October 9 - Michael Pare, American actor *October 10 - Kirsty MacColl, British singer-songwriter *October 15 - Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York *October 15 - Emeril Lagasse, famous chef and restaurant owner *October 17 - Ron Drummond, American writer, editor, and music historian *October 21 - Ken Watanabe, Japanese actor *October 23 - "Weird Al" Yankovic, American singer and parodist *October 25 - Nancy Cartwright, American voice actress *October 26 - Evo Morales, President of Bolivia *October 27 - Rick Carlisle, American basketball coach November-December * November 10 - Linda Cohn, American sports reporter * November 14 - Paul McGann, British actor * November 18 - Jimmy Quinn, Northern Irish footballer and football manager * November 23 - Dominique Dunne, American actress (d. 1982) * November 25 - Charles Kennedy, Scottish politician * November 28 - Judd Nelson, American actor *November 30 - Lorraine Kelly, British presenter and journalist * December 13 - Nadia Russ, Ukrainian-born artist * December 14 - Dana Childs, American radio personality and basketball coach * December 21 - Florence Griffith Joyner, American athelete (d. 1998) * December 27 - Gerina Dunwich, American author * December 31 - Val Kilmer, American actor Deaths January-April * January 21 - Cecil B. DeMille, American film director (b. 1881) * January 22 - Mike Hawthorn, English race car driver (b. 1929) * February 3 - Killed in a private plane crash: **The Big Bopper, American singer (b. 1930) **Buddy Holly, American singer (b. 1936) **Richie Valens, American singer (b. 1941) *February 3 - Vincent Astor, American philanthropist (b. 1891) * February 4 - Una O'Connor, Irish actress (b. 1880) * February 11 - Marshall Teague, American race car driver (b. 1922) * February 14 - Baby Dodds, American jazz musician (b. 1898) * February 15 - Owen Willans Richardson, British physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1879) * February 28 - Maxwell Anderson, American screenwriter (b. 1888) * March 3 - Lou Costello, American actor and comedian (b. 1906) * March 4 - Maxey Long, American athlete (b. 1878) * March 16 - John B. Salling, disputed last-surviving American Civil War veteran (b. 1846?) * March 26 - Raymond Chandler, American-born novelist (b. 1888) * March 29 - Barthélemy Boganda, first President of the Central African Republic (b. 1910) * April 9 - Frank Lloyd Wright, American architect (b. 1867) May-October *May 5 - Carlos Saavedra Lamas, Argentine politician, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1878) *May 14 - Sidney Bechet, American musician (b. 1897) *May 16 - Elisha Scott, footballer (b. 1894) *May 24 - John Foster Dulles, United States Secretary of State (b. 1888) *June 9 - Adolf Otto Reinhold Windaus, German chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1876) *June 23 - Boris Vian, French writer, poet, singer, and musician (b. 1920) *July 11 - Charlie Parker, English cricketer (b. 1882) *July 15 - Ernest Bloch, Swiss composer (b. 1880) *July 17 - Billie Holiday, American singer (b. 1915) *August 5 - Edgar Guest, English poet (b. 1881) *August 6 - Preston Sturges, American film director and writer (b. 1898) *August 15 - Blind Willie McTell, American singer (b. 1901) *August 16 - Wanda Landowska, Polish harpsichordist (b. 1879) *August 19 - Jacob Epstein, American-born sculptor (b. 1880) *August 28 - Bohuslav Martinů, Czech composer (b. 1890) *October 6 - Bernard Berenson, American art historian (b. 1865) *October 7 - Mario Lanza, American tenor (b. 1921) *October 14 - Errol Flynn, Australian actor (b. 1909) *October 16 - George C. Marshall, United States Secretary of State, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b.1880) *October 18 - Boughera El Ouafi, Algerian athlete (b. 1898) November-December *November 15 - Charles Thomson Rees Wilson, Scottish physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1869) *November 17 - Heitor Villa-Lobos, Brazilian composer (b. 1887) *December 22 - Gilda Gray, Polish-born dancer and actress (b. 1901) Nobel prizes * Physics - Emilio Gino Segrè, Owen Chamberlain * Chemistry - Jaroslav Heyrovský * Physiology or Medicine - Severo Ochoa, Arthur Kornberg * Literature - Salvatore Quasimodo * Peace - Philip John Noel-Baker